Facteur D – Montréal, October 16th, 2012

Demonstrating How Architecture, Design and Planning are Key Development Factors.

Montreal, Canada, 2012-06-10 -
Following the success of the event “Le design, moteur de croissance économique” on June 7, 2011, Mission Design will bring the experience to a whole new level with Facteur D, an event whose name comes from the significant effect design has on projects, the “D Factor.” The first annual edition of this event will take place on Oct. 16, 2012 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Mission: To help businesses and public institutions better understand the economic and social benefits of quality architecture, design and planning.

Designers, Architects and Planners Present 49 Innovative Projects with their Clients‘Showing by example’ is the principle employed in a day rich in content: presentations of innovative projects having demonstrated the economic and social value of design for their success, prominent international speakers and a celebratory evening recognizing their successes. At the heart of the event, 49 presentations of innovative Quebec success stories, presented by both the designer/ architect/ planner and the client. These cases will demonstrate the added value of design in the strategic planning of organizations: 7 projects in 7 disciplines (architecture, landscape architecture, as well as graphic, industrial, interior, urban and multi-disciplinary design), scheduled simultaneously. "We are striving to create a new kind of event celebrating design, where designers are not limited to addressing their colleagues but also potential clients, giving them a platform to demonstrate how their work is an essential part of business strategy, whether public or private," explains Alain Dufour, Executive Director of Mission Design. An international jury of design professionals and business leaders, will select the 49 projects to be presented and then determine, the same day, which project in each discipline will be rewarded during the awards ceremony the same night.

International Speakers Including Premiere Launch Event with Jan GehlThe day of presentations will be interspersed by three conferences on the economic and social challenges facing Quebec and the potential of the design disciplines for providing solutions. Jan Gehl, renowned Danish architect and urban planner, will present a conference inspired by his book Cities for People, in which he will outline the importance of the concept of the human scale for cities. In a world exclusive, the French edition of this book will be launched on this day. Names of further speakers will be announced in the weeks to come.Facteur D SoiréeThe “Facteur D Soirée” will close the day, highlighting the excellence of the projects presented over the course of the day. Seven awards will be given to seven clients and the design professionals that spearheaded. "Mission Design has no interest in handing out yet another design prize for the trendiest projects. What we want is to emphasize is the successful collaboration between business and design; beyond the quality of the design, we want to reward results and the measurable impacts of a project, to give substance to this award and try to mitigate the superficial image some have of design and architecture," explains Alain Dufour. The day’s events aim to demonstrate the profitability of design and architecture. We look forward to seeing you on October 16.

Facteur D is presented as part of the Journées du développement régional organized by the CRE of Montréal and its partners. Established as an annual event, Facteur D is a precursor to the World Summit and Congress of Architecture + Design + Planning in 2017. Facteur D is an initiative of Mission Design, co-produced by JPdL, under the artistic direction of orangetango, in partnership with the Palais des congrès de Montréal, the Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire (MAMROT) and the Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation (MDEIE).Facteur D OverviewWhen: October 16th, 2012Where: Palais des congrès de MontréalWho: Private business, municipalities and government departments, design, architecture and planning professionals.

Next Step:June 18th, 2012: Launch of the call for applications from businesses and design professionals to submit projects that will be presented, unveiling of the full program and opening of ticket sales.